The present invention generally relates to safety devices for vehicles and, in particular, to a side-view mirror assembly for a vehicle in the form of a motorized, single shell, dual view, side-view mirror.
Side-view mirrors for large vehicles such as school buses, transit buses and trucks present special design challenges. Specifically, because of the height and size of the vehicles, it is necessary to provide an ample viewing area for a long distance along the side of the vehicle, as well as a view which is directed more toward the ground. Conventionally, separate mirror elements have been provided for these diverse viewing requirements. For example, one mirror element has been traditionally mounted to provide a unique field of view by way of a large flat mirror surface and another mirror element has been provided with a convex surface to provide a wider field of view. These prior art mirror elements, while serving their intended functions, also have the unintended and undesired result that they obscure a substantial field of view forward of the mirror assemblies.